Te Koko is Cloudy Bay’s alternative take on Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc: hand-picked fruit, wild (spontaneous) fermentation in barrel, extended lees ageing and minimal intervention to trade overt primary aromatics for texture, savoury complexity and a gently flinty edge. It’s Sauvignon reimagined—still bright at its core, but layered and gastronomic rather than shouty.
The nose opens with citrus oils, white peach and preserved lemon, unfolding to elderflower, fennel and subtle struck-flint minerality. Barrel fermentation adds hints of brioche, vanilla pod and toasted almond without overwhelming the fruit. On the palate, Te Koko is supple and finely structured: a creamy mid-palate from lees contact, brisk natural acidity for line, and a long, saline finish that reads dry and precise rather than sweet.
Winemaking is about detail and restraint. Multiple vineyard parcels are fermented separately with native yeasts in seasoned French oak; bâtonnage is used judiciously to build texture, and sulphur is applied with a light hand to preserve purity. Oak is a frame, not a flavour—there to shape mouthfeel and length while letting Marlborough’s citrus-mineral signature shine through.
Serve at 10–12 °C in medium white-wine stems; young bottles benefit from a brief splash decant to shed reduction and lift the aromatics. Te Koko is a versatile food wine: think oysters and scallops, sashimi and tempura, herb-roast chicken, lemon and thyme risotto, grilled courgette and feta, or soft-ripened cheeses. The wine’s phenolic bite and savoury detail make it as comfortable at the table as it is on its own.
Enjoy on release for energy and tension, or cellar 4–8 years to gain honeyed nuance, chamomile, roasted nuts and a deeper, waxy texture while retaining a cool, mineral line. Warmer vintages show a touch more stone-fruit breadth; cooler years emphasise citrus, fennel and flint—always unmistakably Te Koko in its calm, layered register.
